Pain doesn’t show up on a body scan and can’t be measured in a test. As a result, many chronic pain sufferers turn to art, opting to paint, draw or sculpt images in an effort to depict their pain.
“It’s often much more difficult to put pain into words, which is one of the big problems with pain,'’ said Allan I. Basbaum
“The Broken Column,” by Frida Kahlo
“It was only when I started doing art about pain, and physicians saw the art, that they understood what I was going through,” Mr. Collen
who suffers from chronic back pain
“Words are limiting, but art elicits an emotional response.'’
Some of the images from the Pain Exhibit, like
“Broken People” by Robert S. Beal of Tulsa, Okla., depict the physical side of pain. Others, such as
“Against the Barrier to Life,” convey the emotional challenges of chronic pain.
Against The Barrier To Life
I feel I am constantly fighting against a tidal wave of pain in order to achieve some quality of life.
clipped from: well.blogs.nytimes.com 
